Scope management results from on-going comparison of design development, site conditions and requested issues to the original scope definition. Potential problems and changes to the work are recognized, evaluated and addressed in a timely manner. If the scope changes are determined to be justified, then changes are included in the project. Other potential changes may be unwarranted because they delay completion, reduce quality, or are cost excessive.

B&A performs plan and constructability reviews to assure consistency between design, fabrication and installation disciplines. These reviews identify errors, conflicts and omissions. As a result of plan and constructability reviews, future costly field changes are minimized.

Cost and Time Management
B&A prepares a project schedule based on the work scope definition and project responsibilities. The schedule also includes work interfaces and responsibilities impacting all project work. The schedule identifies the critical and near critical paths.

B&A recommends that the schedule activities be resource and budget loaded. A target schedule is established to measure cost and schedule performance and resource utilization. The target schedule is based on priority work requirements and resource availability. The target schedule is used to measure progress and assure schedule and cost commitments are being maintained. The schedule also contains responsibility codes representing project Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS). This OBS provides the capability to select, sort and provide useful data to parties performing the work.

Resource Management
B&A's services for resource management include defining resource requirements, obtaining the commitments for resources to meet the requirements and measuring performance against the commitments and requirements. Resource management is applied to all phases of the project.

B&A encourages participation of the persons responsible for performing the work in the development of the plan. B&A's project management approach communicates the plan to those having to implement it and provides feedback to make adjustments when necessary.

This approach assures that all resources are identified and that labor resources have a sense of ownership of the activities.

B&A applies the process, including contract administration, to all phases of the project: design, procurement, fabrication, installation and acceptance. B&A assists in reviewing and enhancing contract requirements and language in accordance with project guidelines.

Contract Management
During the performance of the work, B&A assists in contract administration by implementing change control procedures, reviewing progress payment requests, preparing progress and performance reports and providing coordination. B&A assures that contract requirements are known and understood by the responsible parties and that the work is performed within the agreement.

B&A coordinates activities between the project parties to satisfy the project's requirements and objectives. This coordination begins in the design phase of the project by assuring integration of engineering disciplines.

As the project proceeds from design to procurement, fabrication, installation and acceptance, B&A provides coordination between vendors and contractors for site consideration such as access and installation sequencing. Potential interferences and problems are identified and resolved during periodic and routine progress coordination meetings.

Planning & Scheduling
Planning is the most important function of a project because it commits the management process to define the scope of activities to be performed, identifies who is responsible and how the work will be performed and sets the overall time frame and budget considerations. Planning is necessary to avoid the consequences of crisis and conflict management of projects. Planning involves research, analysis and communicating the results of planning. Planning increases motivation and successfully helps accomplish project goals.

B&A's expertise in developing Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) facilitates identification of the complete project scope. The WBS is used to associate activities in the plan and schedule with the scope definition. Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS) development facilitates association of the activities to the responsible individuals from work crews and first line supervision to management.

B&A recommends the precedence diagramming method for preparing networks and computing schedules to identify the critical path. Scheduling is used to identify critical and near critical activities. B&A also advocates the use of performance measurement to assure project activities are being accomplished to meet time and budget requirements.

B&A staff can provide various levels of planning and scheduling expertise. This ranges from leading a client team to providing staff support of advanced applications and training. B&A assists clients' projects in the application, training and operation of project management (scheduling) systems.

Project Controls
Cost control is different from cost reduction. The word "control" indicates an exercise in restraint. The process of cost reduction, on the other hand, concerns reducing expenses that are too high. Controlling is a very different concept than reducing. In terms of project management, cost control is a much better plan of action. Cost control requires management from the start of the project. Un-necessary Cost reduction is compromising of quality. To control costs means managers are staying on top of operations and attempting to create the maximum profit margin.

B&A's experience in project controls is extensive. It includes the development of project controls systems and the application of current industry systems on projects. The services that B&A has provided to clients include leading clients' project controls teams, providing consulting services to define project controls requirements and developing estimates, budgets and schedules.

B&A is experienced in providing training to client personnel in the use of project controls systems and the development of procedures to support the systems and client's project organization. (Training may consist of a one to two-day workshop on the theory of Planning and Scheduling and use of computerized systems to an extensive training program involving staff working with client personnel in developing project controls for a specific need. B&A is also experienced in the development of procedures to include the operations of systems and the interface between project organizations).

Project Administration
Project administration involves the coordination of the work between the architect/engineer and contractor(s). Pre-construction services are intended to minimize ambiguities between the contract documents and provide constructability reviews of the project's requirements.

B&A's experience includes the pre-bid review of bid and contract documents, preparation of schedules and sequence of work. Document reviews include preparing recommendations to enhance bid and contract language, reviewing scope of work consistency between specifications and drawings and participating in pre-bid meetings.

B&A personnel have experience as project administrators, including responsibilities for pre-construction review, change order estimates and control, progress monitoring and reporting and analysis of cost and schedule impact resulting from changes to the work. B&A has prepared project estimates and schedules for clients prior to the selection of the architect/engineer. This includes working with the client to formulate the scope and anticipated sequence of work.

Plan Reviews
B&A performs a detailed review of the project plans and specifications in order to identify conflicts, interferences, errors in drawings and constructability problems prior to bid release. B&A compares the architectural, civil, structural, mechanical and electrical drawings to ensure that the disciplines have been coordinated by the architect/engineer. The specifications are compared to the drawings for consistency and completeness. Construction phasing plans are reviewed for possible occupancy problems/conflicts during construction.

B&A prepares a Plan Review Report which identifies the number of conflicts, interferences, errors in the drawings and constructability issues. This Plan Review Report and a set of marked-up drawings are issued with our detailed findings. This information is then reviewed with the architect/engineer and/or owner for integration into the final bid package or issued as an addendum.

Progress Inspections
Project specifications and construction drawings are reviewed prior to making the site inspection. After receipt of the developer's or contractor's request for progress payment, a site inspection is made to examine the claimed percentage of work completed. A written report and photographs are submitted to management detailing any discrepancies between the amount requested and the actual amount completed.

This service is provided for site development including site grading, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water service, utility services and road construction. Structural, mechanical and electrical systems as well as finishes are also examined for verifying progress payment requests. These services are provided routinely or as requested to meet our clients' needs.

Managed Tasks
The background and experience of B&A and its personnel are in project controls, administration and management. B&A offers professional consulting services to clients confronted with unique projects and problems from project inception through completion. These services include management system analysis, recommendations, training and implementation.

Principals, senior consultants and consultants provide guidance and direction in the development and effective utilization of project control programs to accomplish project objectives. Their expertise reflects years of applying project control systems to their fullest potential on actual projects. They ensure that potential problem areas and adverse trends are recognized early and provide advice on how to resolve them before they become serious problems.

Senior engineers, engineers and technicians provide project control application support under the direction of B&A or client management. They function with minimal supervision in the development of estimates and schedules, the generation of computerized reports, the collection of progress data and the preparation of periodic status reports.

B&A's managed task services range from short-term to individual or team assignments to relieving peak resource demands, to longer-term placement of professionals to assist a client's organization in accomplishing project goals and corporate objectives.

Dispute Resolution
B&A has extensive experience in unraveling extremely complex construction issues and presenting them in simple and concise concepts.

B&A uses a consistent and proven approach for defining and developing the issues in both defense of and preparation of a construction claim. This approach, implemented by experienced B&A professional staff, provides B&A clients with the knowledge and confidence that the issues have been researched objectively and that negotiations or proceedings can begin. B&A's expertise includes impact of issues on intermediate and contract completion dates as well as assessment and support or rebuttal of damages including loss of efficiencies, extended general conditions and overheads.

B&A's participation in resolving disputes begins early when the dispute is recognized. This participation provides B&A clients with an assessment of the extent of project documentation and documents related to issues, a preliminary analysis to determine the strengths and weaknesses of positions and a presentation of objective findings and recommendations for consideration whether and how to proceed. This includes cost/benefit analysis and discussions with client counsel.

Frequently, B&A is brought into the dispute by counsel after complaints have been filed. B&A's role is to isolate the issues within its expertise, determine the strengths and weaknesses and prepare for the proceedings. The same consistent approach and commitment by B&A staff to professional ethical standards and independent analysis is used.

B&A's experience also includes litigation management. Litigation management assists counsel in planning strategies for the defense and preparation of its client's position, provides case status, reports progress of expert witness efforts and identifies the availability and use of resources. These efforts have proved helpful in multiple litigation proceedings.

If you are faced with resolving a complex construction dispute and need an independent expert's assessment, consider the professional services of B&A. Our record stands on the savings experienced by our clients.

Estimating
B&A provides a number of construction estimating services including Cost Estimating, Performance Measurement, Cash Flow Forecasting and Fixed Asset Management. Design estimate types include Conceptual (Order of Magnitude), Budgetary and Definitive for commercial, industrial and institutional projects.

B&A also provides independent reconciliation estimating services.

Cost control estimating can be provided for a project to manage increased project costs due to the addition of project bulletins. A bulletin estimate will set the total value of a bulletin which will aid in owner and general contractor negotiations. Bulletin estimates are completed by separate construction disciplines such as civil, architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical.

B&A's estimates are developed using conventional labor and material methods and practices and a knowledge of current building trades labor agreements. B&A utilizes industry databases with city adjustments and uses its knowledge of the latest construction techniques for a cost efficient project. B&A provides estimates in whatever format the client needs.

B&A's experience in construction estimating has been extensive, providing support to architectural and engineering firms and the industrial and manufacturing sectors.